Whilst The Young Republic’s music is definitely American, it seems that they are indebted to the modern forebears of the Postcard Records philosophy, to Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obscura.
The Young Republic – 12 Tales From Winter City
http://www.theyoungrepublic.net/ www.myspace.com/theyoungrepublic http://www.endoftheroadrecords.com/
“Alt. Country meets the Belle and Sebastian end of the British indie scene.” Probably due to the fact that they are a mix of male and female American multi-instrumentalists, some have sought to compare them to the Arcade Fire. However they are never quite as po-faced as those Canadian organ-botherers and generally exhibit a lightness of touch more reminiscent of the aforementioned Belle and Sebastian. Like their Caledonian counterparts they exhibit a fine ear for a hook. In particular the infectiously brilliant Modern Plays could be straight out of the Stuart Murdoch song-book. There is a strain of wistful melancholy running through the album, but tinged with a vibrancy and loveliness that prevents it ever feeling maudlin.
This is essentially a compilation album, culled from the band’s early EPs and singles. Occasionally this tells – for example the (albeit rather lovely) last track Goodbye Town doesn’t feel quite of a piece with what went before. However given the fact that it wasn’t originally woven as a whole, it hangs together surprisingly well. They successfully meld flashes of jazzy and classical horns or strings to the pretty pop without it feeling incongruous.
There are rather a lot of winsome, arty bands around these days. Stuart Maconie observed in his excellent book Cider with Roadies that listening to Aztec Camera led him and others like him to develop a romanticised view that made them wish that they had grown up in East Kilbride – unaware that the place is a shit-hole. Whilst The Young Republic’s music is definitely American, it seems that they are indebted to the modern forebears of the Postcard Records philosophy, to Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obscura.
Words: Rover